What to Do if Your Nintendo Switch Keeps Freezing

Nintendo is known for making some of the most robust hardware around, and it has earned a sterling reputation for creating reliable devices. Sometimes though, things can still go wrong, and for one reason or another, your Switch may suddenly experience freezing. Don’t panic. There are ways to deal with a frozen Nintendo Switch.

What to Do When Your Nintendo Switch Freezes

Below are some of the quickest remedies that you can resort to when your Nintendo Switch suddenly freezes on you. These are:

1. Do a Game Restart

Sometimes the screen freeze on a Nintendo Switch is caused not by any hardware error but a software glitch. A good portion of the times, a game restart can fix your problem if your switch itself is still responsive but your game isn’t. If this happens, restart your game by pressing the home button. Once you’re back on the game’s main menu, rejoin your game.

If it’s still not responding, exit the game and then close it by pressing X. Wait for a while then open the game again. This is going to cause you to lose any unsaved progress, but this usually isn’t that big of a deal. Be warned though, if software freezes happen frequently, it may be a symptom of a larger problem.

2. Place the Switch in the Dock (or Remove It If Docked)

Software glitches that cause the Nintendo Switch to freeze can sometimes be remedied by docking or undocking the console. Changing from handheld mode to docked mode, and vice versa, will interrupt any process that the Switch is currently performing. Sometimes that interruption is enough to unfreeze any software glitch that the device is experiencing.

Be careful about this though. Repeated docking and undocking the Switch in quick succession may cause more errors than it may fix.

3. Force Shutdown

If the restart and undocking don’t work, it may be time for a hard reset. To do a hard reset, first remove the inserted game card, if any. This will avoid causing errors in your game or save data. Once you’ve done this, hold down the Power button for at least three seconds. When the popup appears, select Power options and then select Turn Off.

If the popup doesn’t appear. Hold down the Power button for at least twelve seconds. This will cause the console to do a hard shutdown. When the Switch is off, wait for a few seconds before powering up the device again.

4. Charge the Console

Sometimes, a low battery will cause the whole system to freeze. The quickest solution, of course, is to charge the console. Turn off the switch and then allow it to charge fully just to make sure that it’s getting the proper charge that it needs.

5. Check the Wi-Fi Connection

Occasionally, a cut internet connection can cause the system to freeze, especially if it’s in the middle of an update or your game has online functions that suddenly get interrupted. Check if your Wi-Fi has been turned off. Turning it on may unfreeze the system. You can also combine a hard reset with resetting your Wi-Fi.

6. Contact Support

If none of the previous solutions seems to be working, unfortunately it may be time to contact customer support. You can reach Nintendo tech support either by email, phone, or chat. You can also send support tickets to ask if there’s another solution you haven’t tried yet. The Nintendo Support page has all the contact information that you need.

Alternatively, if there is a Nintendo Service Center that’s open near your area, you can bring your Switch in to be repaired. If your warranty is still in effect, you can have your Switch fixed for free, provided you haven’t done anything to void the warranty.

A Few Simple Remedies

There are multiple reasons for your Nintendo Switch to experience unexplained and sudden freezes. It’s an annoying problem that, fortunately and more often than not, can be addressed with one of a few simple remedies. Before panicking, trying out the methods listed above may be your best bet to getting back to uninterrupted gaming.

Do you know of another way to deal with a Nintendo Switch that keeps freezing? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.